Oklahoma Family Honored For Their End 'R' Word Campaign

Noble High School students&nbsp;were honored Wednesday&nbsp;at the Oklahoma State Capitol for&nbsp;their efforts to stop discrimination against disabled citizens. <br /><br /><a href="http://therword.org/">The &#39;R&#39; Word Campaign web site</a>

Wednesday, March 3rd 2010, 4:37 pm

By: News On 6


OKLAHOMA CITY – Noble High School students were honored Wednesday at the Oklahoma State Capitol for their efforts to stop discrimination against disabled citizens.

Kerrie White, along with her sister Kayla and other Noble classmates, was at the State Capitol to promote "Spread the Word to End the 'R' Word" Day. They presented their message to the full House of Representatives.

White's parents, Rick and Wanda Felty, are the creators of the "r" Word Campaign website. The "r" Word Campaign is a national initiative to stop the use of the word "retarded" in any derogatory form.

"When the words 'retard' and 'retarded' are used in a negative context to describe something as stupid or bad, it is hurtful to people who have disabilities or the family and friends who love them," said State Rep. Scott Martin (R-Norman).

"It is inspiring to see Kerrie and her fellow classmates take a stand against this injustice. I am proud to see all the work this campaign is doing in Oklahoma and the nation to prevent citizens with disabilities from being belittled."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 604,000 Oklahomans have some form of disability. This group is also the most inclusive and diverse group made up of all ages, genders, sexes, races, and socioeconomic levels.

The "r" Word Campaign's mission and motto is to educate individuals that some people have mental retardation (intellectual disabilities); however, while mental retardation is not a bad word, when used to describe someone or something as bad or stupid it becomes another thoughtless, hurtful word, according to the "r" word campaign.

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